The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-06-04

innovation means q fortune to the enterpris
ing Italian who assorts the contents OF tho
ash carts on the dumps, and illustrates tho
tendency Of the times toward m%onopolies,
When the garbage and ashes have been col
leeted the carts drive to one of the
seventeen docks on the water front Of
the city known as dumping boards. They
are bridge.ike structures, extending out
over the riYer, and undcr them lie the scows
into which the contents Of the carts are
dumped. Italians covered with dirt swarm
over the sSoys and trim, the load 50 that the
vessel viii ride properly. Formerly these
trtmmers were paid by the city, and their
services cost the Taxpayers thousand of dol
lars q year. An Italian contractor agreed to
do the work for nOthingi IL allowed TO collect
the rugs and bones found In the refuse mat.
ter. lie hired scores Of italian laborers ut
sl25 q day, and made q small fortune the
first year. A brisk competition for the priyi-
lego Of doing tho unslvOry work sprang up,
but the italian outbld all competition, and
9stonished even the city authorities
llege OF doing the trimming OF tho scows. He
hires q great force Of men, and every Mon
day morning he pays Into the city treasury
S32l. Although his employees must work
night or day ut q low rate of wages, the sup +
ply or labOrerS fur exceeds tho demand.
There Is tothem q fascination about the work
akin 70 tho excitement OF digging for gold,
for at every II OF the seventeen dumping
boards in the city some trimmer Is sure to
find q coin or some article Of value each day
In the year. IL IL an unwrittcn but rigidly-
money or plate that hG finds, Tho trimmers
tell OF one Of their number who found a
$4,000 negotiable bond onthe dumps. He
ceased work on the scows, invested in real
estate, and Is now rich and well dressed, and
moves In the upper tondom OF Italian society.
The Italian tfimmers regard with suspicion
Q structure OF corrugated Iron that has been
built on the end of adump atthe foot Of East
Seventeenth street, II Is q crematory, and
It's inventor claims that II will sort thecon-
tents Of the carts as well Us the laborery now
DO and consume tho garbage without giving
off unpleasant smoke.
Even the most perfect crematorles will
not, However, dispose Of ashes and street
swecpings. Five and a half million tons Of
ashes are made every year III New York,
and 2s,O2S loads Of street Bweepings were
gathered lust year. Formerly the city was
Paid $1,000 o year for It's swecpings, but
now they. are, with the ashes and garbage;
dumped in the sea about eighteen miles
Wv. 4hS jumping TUuHu uEp III tle
direction OF Coney island, and during the
bathing season tho scows arc towed further
out than the distance required by law. An
inspector superintends The dumping, aud
secs that the scows are unloaded only ut the
time when the outgoing tide will take the
refuse out to sea. III Tho, sea Is rough, the
scows lie In Grayesend bay until II Is safe to
go out. Not long agoa fleet Of thirty o these
scows were anchored In the bay two days.
Men employed at unloading tile scows are
occasionally lost overheard and drowned In
rough weather, but the spirit Of invention
Ids invaded their domain also, and self
dumping scows whose loads one man can
dump In the sea arc taking the places Of the
old boats.
Bones found in ash barrels are the source
of great profit to the contractor, and II Is
said that he makes nearly enough from the
sale Of them 70 lay the city lis royalty OF
1920 o week. They arc cleansed and used In
the big sugar refinefies Of Brooklyn as bono
black, Alter tho rags have been collected
from the dumps they arc put In iron cages
and submerged intothe river several hours.
They r then sold TO paper dealers, and tic
citizen reading his paper and stgaring his
coffee at the breakfast table may he In
debted to the ash barrel for the sheet ON
which hi. plperis printed and for tic white.
ness Of his sugar.